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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. PIERSON.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS. v No. 297,444 Patented Apr. 22,1884.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. M. PIERSON.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS. No. 297,444. Patented Apr.22,1884. I

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY M. PIERSONK F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 297.444, dated April22, 1884.

Application filed November 5, 1883. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY M. PIERSON, of Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Apparatusfor the Manufacture of Gas, of which the following is a specification.

. In Letters Patent No. 279,010, granted to me June 5, 1883, I havedescribed an apparatus especially adapted to the use of soft coal inthemanufacture of gas,wherein the soft coal is coked in a set of retorts,and is passed from the retorts successively into the generator, whereinthe coke forms a bed of incandescent fuel, throughwhich the superheatedsteam and the gases from the coke-retort pass and are fixed. In the saidLetters Patent mention is made of the fact that this improvement may beemployed with such retorts as are used in the Low, Frost,and Strongapparatus, in which the direction of the steam and gases through thechambers will vary.

My present invention relates to the especial apparatus designed for moreperfectly carrying out and putting into operation the manufacture ofgas, in a method corresponding generally to that known as the Lowprocess, in which the steam passes up through the bed of incandescentfuel, and the gases traverse through the fixing-chamber. J In thedrawings, Figure 1 is an elevation partially in section. Fig. 2 is aplan; and Fig. 3 is an elevation, partially in section, at the line X X.

The generator A is-connected at its upper end with a set of cokers, M,and Ihave numbered these cokers 11, 12, 13, and 14, as in my aforesaidpatent. These cokers are to be charged with soft'coal in a mannersimilar to the charging of ordinary gas-retorts, the 3 covers of suchcokers being removed periodically and in succession, and the cokeremaining in each retortis pushed back into the generator A, so as tofall upon the bed of :incandescent fuel, and then such coker is chargedwith fresh soft coal or similar material. These operations, having beenfully described in my aforesaid patent, do not need to be repeated in mypresent specification.

Beneath one end of the group of cokers M J is a descending flue, E, anda cross-flue, 6,

leading to the vertical fixing-chamber F, at the upper end of which is achimney or escape, and flue D with a movable valve, H, andalever tooperate the same. This fixing-chamber F is filled with loosely laid upfire-brick or similar material, and. is similar to that shown in myaforesaid patent. Instead of introducing the steam into the fixingchamber F, I introduce the same by a pipe, k, beneath the grate-bars inthe generator A, so that the said steam passes up through the bed ofincandescent fuel, thence along through the cokers M, down through theflue E, and by the horizontal flue e to the fixing-chamber F, throughwhich the steam and gases ascend, and by the internal heat of suchchamber F the gases are fixed or combined in such a manner as to becomepermanent, and adapted to illuminating or heating purposes, such gasespassing away by a pipe, L, to a suitable holder. In heating up thisapparatus, the atmosphere is supplied by a pipe, 8, and damper t, so asto pass in beneath the grate-bars in the generator A, thence up throughthe fire, along through the cokers M, and down through the flue E andhorizontal flue e to the base of the fixing-chamber F. At this point asupply of air is admitted by the pipe and cock u, so that the carbonicoxide and other gases are ignited and burned.

with an intense heat as they pass up through the fixing-chamber F, andin contact with the loosely laid up fire-brick therein. By this meansthe fixing-chamber F becomes very highly heated, and is adapted tocombining or fixing the gases that pass through it during the gas-makingoperation.

It is to be understood that the gas-making operation is suspended duringthe time that soft coal or fuel is introduced into one of the cokers,and that the atmosphere is supplied to pass through the incandescentfuel and the cokers for heating up the apparatus immediately thereafter.and that so soon as the apparatus attains the proper temperature thevalve H at the top of the fixing=chamber F is closed and the supply ofatmosphere is stopped. The steam is then admitted by the pipe and cookk, and the gas-making operation is resumed. In this gas-making operationthe steam is decomposed as it passes up passing off from the soft coalin the cokers to combine with the carbonic acid, so that the resultantproduct is a gas well adapted to either illuminating or heatingpurposes, ac-

. cording to the quantity of steam that may be supplied and thecharacter of the coal introduced into the cokers M. V Furthermore,whenit is desired to make a gas especially adapted to-illumination, Iintroduce petroleum or any other suitable liquid hydrocarbon by the pipen in a regulated quantity. The heat of the flue E vaporizes the same;but this flue E is not sufficiently hot to cause the development oflamp-black in the fixing-chamber, or the production of tarry liquidmaterials.

In the manufacture of gas, when a cover is removed from the retort, thegases escape and the atmosphere rushes in, causing an explosion that isvery' annoying and sometimesinj urious to the workmen who remove thecoke and supply the fresh fuel. One portion of my presentimprovemcntrelates to devices for overcoming this diificulty. Above thegenerator A is provided an escape-pipe, W, with the cock 20, and thesteam-jet 21 controlled by the cook 22 and the rod 23.- As soon as thegas-making operation is suspended by shutting off the supply of steamthrough the pipe k, the attendant opens the cook 20 by the rod 24 andturns on the steam at the jet 21 by the rod 23. The jet of steam actingin the pipe W draws out from the generator A and the cokers M sufficientof the gaseous materials 7 therein to reduce the pressure down to thatof the atmosphere. The attendant removes whichever retort-cover is to beremoved, and the atmosphere passes into the retort, and the gasestherein being simultaneously ignited by a gas-jet they do not explode,and the combustion proceeds toward the back end of the retort as thecontents of such retort are drawn out by the action of the pipe WV;hence the attendant is able to press the coke in said retort back andcauseit to fall upon the bed of incandescent fuel in the generator A,and then he introduces the soft coal or similar material in the chuteand delivers it upon the bottom of the retort and closes theretort-cover, and the valve 20 and the apparatus is ready for theadmission of air in heating up the same as before.

It is usually preferable to provide a gas-jet at 26, the same being upona jointed pipe, so that the attendant can bring this jet into contactwith the gas that may issue around either cover when the clamping-screwthereof is first released, so that the gas will be ignited and in aburning condition as the cover of the retort is removed. This preventsthe atmosphere from mixing with the gases previous to the ignition ofthe same and producing explosion.

I claim as my invention as follows:

1. The combination,with a generator adapted to contain a bed ofincandescent fuel, of a fixing-chamber, and cokers between the generatorand fixing-chamber and forming the sole passages for the gases, theloosely-laid fire-brick or similar material in the fixingchamber, pipesfor supplying the air at the base of the fixing-chamber and at the baseof the generator, and a pipe for supplying steam at the base of thegenerator, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, in a. gas-making apparatus, of a set of cokersadapted to the reception of soft coal or similar material, and formingalso the passage for the gases, a generator connected with one end ofsuch cokers for the reception of the coke from such cokers,

a fixing-chamber, F, connected with the other end of such cokers, andthe pipe for supply- 0 ing steam beneath the incandescent bed of fuel inthe generator, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the generator adapted to contain a bed ofincandescent 'fuel, of a pipe for supplying steam into such generator,one or more cokers connected with the opening into such generator andadapted to receive soft coal or similar fuel, a fixing-chamher and theflue connected from the said cokers to the said chamber, and means ofsupply- 1c ing hydrocarbon into such flue, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

4. The combination, in a gas-making apparatus, of one or more cokers forreceiving the soft coal or similar material, the movable 10 cover orcovers of such retorts, an escape-pipe connected with the back end ofsuch retort, a jet-pipe for steam or other material under pressure toinduce a current in such escapepipe, and the cock for closing the saidpipe, in substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

Signed by me this 3d day of November, A.

H. M. PIERSON.

Witnesses:

GEO. T. PINCKNEY, WILLIAM G. Mom.

